Population of Spain falls by 205,788

THE Spanish population has fallen for the first time since 1996.

On January 1, 2013, there were 47,059,533 people registered as residents in Spain, which is 205,788 fewer than the same time last year.

The number of foreign residents registered in Spain has fallen by 216,125 people, throughout 2012, to a total of 5.52 million, while the number of Spanish residents has increased by 10,337, according to the National Institute of Statistics.

According to their report, 11.7 per cent of registered residents in Spain are foreigners, of which 2.4 million are EU citizens.

Most of the foreigners who have left Spain, mainly non-EU citizens, do so because they cannot find work.

Almost 86 per cent of the registered residents of Spain were born here.